Kip Andersen & Keegan Kuhn, “Cowspiracy” filmmakers

Kip Andersen & Keegan Kuhn—filmmakers behind the documentary “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret,” which examines how the animal agriculture industry dwarfs all other causes of global climate change (and other ills), and how the most prominent environmental nonprofit organizations look the other way, and worse—discuss their respective backgrounds and how they teamed up for this project. The pair recounts how they decided Andersen would appear onscreen, essentially serving as “Cowspiracy”’s Michael Moore, and when they experienced the “a-ha” moment common to any investigative enterprise, where an important discovery is made or crucial dots are connected. Andersen and Kuhn also address one recurring element of the film whereby Greenpeace repeatedly declines their interview requests, and how this connects to a later scene where Andersen is interviewing a spokeswoman from the Animal Agricultural Alliance (a pro-livestock lobbying group) and asks if the meat and dairy industry ever donates to Greenpeace…and she says she doesn’t“know that I’m comfortable”answering that question. The duo also speaks to how their interviews began ruffling enough feathers that all the entities who had agreed to help underwrite “Cowspiracy” eventually pulled their funding. Andersen and Kuhn explain the outcomes they were seeking with “Cowspiracy,” why the film’s latter section is more upbeat, and how they themselves are optimistic about the future. “Cowspiracy” is slated to screen at 7pm on Sept. 25 at the Brandon AMC in Brandon. Information and tickets:www.tugg.com/events/10953 (http://cowspiracy.com)

ALSO: We had a brief conversation with Kristy Williamson, of Vida de Café–the restaurant in St. Pete Beach, about to celebrate its fifth anniversary–about their monthly raw vegan classes, what folks enrolling in the classes could expect to learn, and more. (www.vidadecafe.com)

Duncan Strauss is the producer-host of “Talking Animals,” which he launched at KUCI in California in 2003, combining his passions for animals, radio, journalism, music and comedy. The show has aired since late 2005 on Tampa’s WMNF. Strauss lives in Jupiter Farms, FL with his family, including four cats, two horses and one dog. He spends each day talking to those animals, and maintains they talk right back to him, an as yet unverified claim.